The Lady Who Saw Too Much

by Thomasine Rappold

  “He’s alive,” he said.

  Gia’s heart lifted. The blood seeping from Landen’s shoulder quickly squelched her relief.

  Alex gazed up the embankment. “We’ll never get him up there.” He glanced down the shoreline and then back up the embankment. “Alice! Toss down the rope!”

  Alice did as directed.

  Alex worked to uncoil the long rope, shouting to Alice again. “Get the horse and meet us down stream!” He hesitated, rope in hand, staring up at his sister. “Can you do that?”

  With a frantic nod, Alice disappeared from sight.

  “Let’s get him back in the water,” Alex said.

  “In the water? But why?”

  “We’ll be able to move him easier that way. We’ll use the current to float him along.”

  With a nod, Gia drew a deep breath for the challenge ahead as Alex worked and knotted the rope. Together they struggled to drag Landen back into the water. Fashioning the rope like a sling beneath Landen’s torso, they each took a side as they guided him carefully on the current. The distance from the steep creek bank to level terrain seemed endless as they floated Landen along. Bedrock underfoot hindered their pace. Gia’s sopped skirts grew heavier with each step as they waded with the force of the current.

  Sweat beaded on her brow, trickling into her eyes, and her throat was so parched she could barely force air into her lungs. Landen was alive. She had to keep him that way, and the urge to save him gave her the strength to push onward.

  “I’m here!” Alice waved on the shore up ahead.

  The girl had made surprisingly good time, and Gia couldn’t help being impressed. And grateful.

  They grunted against Landen’s weight as they dragged him to shore. Alex took a deep breath, clearly exhausted. “I’ll need you both to help me get him up on the horse,” he said. “But first we have to stop the bleeding.”

  Gia tore a piece of dry fabric from the tattered hem of Alice’s skirts. Alex took the long strip, then tore it in half. He packed a wadded piece against the wound, then tied it in place with the other.

  Landen moaned, and his eyes fluttered open.

  “Gia.” A quivering smile touched his lips. “You found us.”

  “Shh. It’s all right, my darling.” She smoothed back his wet hair.

  “Alice?”

  “She is fine,” Gia said. “Alex is here too.”

  “We’re all fine, Brother,” Alex said, securing the dressing. “Just hold on, and let us take care of you for a change.” Alex’s voice clogged with emotion, and Gia realized suddenly how much Alex truly loved his brother. Alex squeezed Landen’s hand. “We’re taking you home.”

  * * * *

  The trek back to the house took forever. Gia led the horse through the woods as quickly as she could with Landen slumped against Alex’s chest to keep him mounted as they moved. When they finally reached the edge of the woods, Florence and a group of people hurried toward them.

  “He’s bleeding badly! He’s been shot,” Gia cried. Tears streamed down her face as all the pent-up emotion and fear spewed forth.

  The men carefully pulled Landen from the horse, then carried him across the lawn toward the house.

  Alice flew into Florence’s arms, hugging her tight. The girl had been through quite an ordeal. She was stronger than Gia had ever realized, and she loved her all the more for her surprising inner strength.

  “Where’s Doctor Reed?” Gia cried, searching the faces around her.

  “He is away. I am Doctor Merrick, Mrs. Elmsworth. I’m filling in for Doctor Reed this week.”

  Gia nodded as the doctor hurried after the men. A young woman appeared at Gia’s side and took her by the arm. “I am Madeline,” she said. “Doctor Merrick’s wife.” She inspected the scratches and cuts on Gia’s face. “Are you hurt?”

  Gia shook her head. “No, I am fine.”

  “Come on, let’s see to your husband.”

  Gia let Madeline lead her into the house while Florence attended to Alice.

  “He fell over the cliff,” Gia murmured. “He’s been shot.”

  “Don’t worry,” Madeline said. “We’ll take good care of him. I promise.”

  Gia followed as the men carried Landen upstairs to their room. She sidled her way to the bed. Brushing back the wet hair clinging to his face, she leaned to whisper in his ear. “Please don’t leave me.”

  She clutched his cold hand. Closing her eyes, she hoped for a vision of his recovery, like the one she’d had of Clara that night, but nothing appeared. The frightening possibility he might die, here in their bed, chased the breath from her lungs.

  Doctor Merrick ordered the men from the room, then placed his hands on Gia’s shoulders. “Let me tend to him now,” he said softly.

  “I can help,” Gia uttered, though she wasn’t sure how.

  “My wife will help me.” He turned to Madeline and gave a firm nod. “She knows what to do.”

  Madeline peeled off her gloves, then tossed them aside. She took Gia’s hands firmly in hers and gave them a squeeze. “Wait downstairs,” she said gently. “Let us care for him.”

  The vision struck quickly. Madeline leaned over Landen’s still form, her eyes closed in a trance, her palms pressed to the bleeding wound on his shoulder. The flow of blood oozing between her fingers slowed beneath her small hands and then stopped completely.

  Gia gasped in surprise, opening her eyes. Blinking back her amazement, she eased from the woman’s tight grip on her hands, blinking again.

  “Are you all right?” Madeline’s eyes filled with concern.

  Gia stared into her pretty face, too stunned to speak.

  “Please bring her downstairs,” Madeline instructed Alex. “And get her something to drink.”

  Gia moved in a daze, in a maelstrom of bewilderment at what she had seen. She glanced back at Madeline as Alex led her from the room. The sound of the door closing firmly behind them echoed through the din in the hall. Alex took Gia’s arm, and they joined the others as they filed downstairs.

  Gia sat in the parlor with Alex and Alice, the low chatter of the crowd outside wafting in from the open windows. Despite what she’d seen Madeline do in the vision, her mind reeled with fears for Landen, and everything else that had transpired today—these past months.

  She wiped at her misty eyes, remembering everything. The first time she’d set eyes on Landen, their first kiss. The first time he’d made love to her. How she longed to be in his strong arms again, hear the sound of his laughter.

  A long hour later, Madeline stepped into the parlor. “Your husband wishes to see you, Mrs. Elmsworth.”

  Gia sprang to her feet.

  “He’s lost a lot of blood, and his ankle is badly sprained, but he will be fine.”

  Gia smiled. She hugged Madeline with all the relief flooding inside her. “Thank you,” she uttered against her hair. “Thank you for saving him.”

  Madeline drew away. “You can thank my husband—”

  “No,” Gia said, shaking her head. “It was you.” She clasped Madeline’s hands and gave a firm nod. “It was you.”

  The woman’s dark eyes flashed wide. Her defensive look softened into a look of perplexity. “But how… How could you know—”

  “It doesn’t matter right now,” Gia said with a smile.

  Madeline tilted her head, studying Gia. After several long moments, a tremulous smile touched her lips. “Perhaps the two of us should have tea sometime,” she said. “I’ve a feeling we may have a few things in common.”

  Gia nodded. “As do I.” Gia hugged her again before hurrying up the stairs to see Landen.

  She raced into the room. Landen lay in bed, his ankle set in a splint and raised on a pile of pillows. His bandaged shoulder hung in a sling.

  “Kit is dead,” he said bluntly.

  Gia nodded. “Yes.”

  Landen averted his eyes. “He was Isobel’s fiancé,” he said. “
Before I stole her away.”

  Gia gaped, stunned by the news.

  “All these years he’s been waiting to take his revenge….” He turned back to Gia. “I’m so sorry for the things I said to you, Gia.”

  She shook her head and tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “I’m so sorry,” he repeated.

  “It’s all right.” She grasped his hand, and his warm flesh spurred a sigh of relief. “You’re all right.”

  “Because of you,” he uttered. His eyes filled with sorrow. “Alice and I would have died out there. But you knew where we were. The red scarf. You knew all along.”

  She nodded.

  “I should have believed you,” he said. “I should have trusted you.” He straightened in the bed, grimacing at the effort. “You were telling me the truth. You really came to Misty Lake to save me. A complete stranger,” he said as though he still couldn’t believe it.

  She nodded again.

  “Why?”

  “Prudence,” she uttered. “I didn’t fight to save her.” She gazed into his face. “I had to fight to save you.”

  “And you did.” He smiled. “As I knew you would.”

  She tamped back her elation. Suppressed the joy bubbling inside. She’d told him about her visions, and he believed her now. But if there was to be a future with him, she had to tell him everything. “There is something else you should know.”

  His brows rose above humor-filled eyes. “There is more?”

  He tilted his head at her solemn nod as she summoned her courage. “My brothers…” She’d never spoken of it aloud; she’d barely let herself think of it. The pain and guilt hurt too much. The fear of confessing the horrible truth right now—to the man she loved—of risking any hope for their future, threatened to swallow her whole. She stared into his handsome face through her teary eyes. “The accident was my fault.”

  He winced, narrowing his eyes.

  “We were in town and heading home. I’d arranged to meet someone that night. A beau,” she said. “And I was late. It was my idea to cross the frozen pond to make better time. I insisted. It was my birthday, you see, and they had to oblige.” She lowered her head. “My brothers died because of me. Because of my selfishness.”

  “Oh, Gia.” He shook his head, looking stricken. “It was an accident. A terrible accident. And you are anything but selfish. You proved that to me a dozen times over. In a dozen different ways.”

  She wiped at her eyes.

  “We’ve all done things we regret. Things we’d give anything to undo. But we have to forgive ourselves and move onward.” He shrugged. “Because that’s all we can do.”

  Landen’s sorrow for his part in Kit’s plight shined in his eyes. Gia swallowed hard, absorbing his comforting words.

  “No one knows why things happen as they do,” he said. “But we must trust that there’s a reason.” He lifted her chin. “Trust is everything.”

  He smiled at the use of her own words to him, and in that moment, she loved him more.

  “You survived that accident for a reason,” he said. “And whatever that reason, it brought you to me.”

  “A vision brought me to you,” she reminded him. “You are married to a woman who has visions. Unexplainable, inconvenient visions that can strike any time.”

  “Life with you will never be dull.” He smiled again. “And I’d have it no other way. Your visions—this gift—is a part of you. A part of the compassionate, beautiful, enticingly sensual woman that makes you who you are.” His voice quaked with emotion as he squeezed her hand between his. “And I love all of you.”

  She smiled through her blinding tears. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt loved. But she felt his love now as clearly as she felt the firm hold on her hand. Her heart swelled to overflowing. “I love you too.”

  He smiled, looking relieved. “I did not make it easy.”

  She laughed. “No, you didn’t, my darling.” She pressed a kiss to his lips. “But then again, neither did I.”

  Epilogue

  Two weeks later

  Gia nestled closer to Landen in the wagon as they rode through the field. The sun hung low in the cloudless sky, but the brisk nip in the air reminded her that summer was over. Shades of yellow and orange tinged the leaves of the trees along their route. The summer residents had returned to their homes in the city, leaving a peaceful quietness in their wake.

  With Landen’s blessing, Ben had escorted Alice and Clara back to Troy. The young couple would continue their courtship, and Gia couldn’t be happier for them. Even Landen had defended the young man to Aunt Clara, who wasn’t quite so in favor of the idea.

  Alex had left immediately after that horrible day at the creek to inform Sissy of Kit’s death. Hearing the details had been difficult, but according to the letter they’d received from Alex yesterday, Sissy was doing her best to manage her grief, and Alex was doing his best to console her. As expected, Sissy had been stunned by Kit’s crimes. But he’d brought Alex and Sissy together, and for that, the couple would always be grateful.

  Gia had much to be grateful for as well. She loved Landen and her new family to pieces. And they loved her in return. Her mind drifted to her parents. Perhaps, someday, she might reunite with them. She’d forgiven them, as she’d forgiven herself, for what happened in Boston. But their lack of effort to find her made clear they’d found peace in letting her go.

  Pushing the sad thought from her mind, she nestled closer to Landen. They’d decided to spend a few extra weeks in Misty Lake and were using the privacy of the house to celebrate their belated honeymoon. Although Gia missed the rest of the family, she welcomed the serenity of being alone with Landen and had enjoyed the past week immensely.

  She’d had only one single vision since the ordeal. She smiled, touching her stomach. She looked forward to telling Landen about that wonderful vision tonight.

  Landen stopped the wagon at his favorite spot on the hill overlooking Misty Lake, and Gia helped him down from the wagon. His ankle was healing nicely, but it would take some time before he could walk unassisted.

  They stood, gazing out over the sparkling lake and the sun setting behind the mountains in the distance. Once again, the lovely view felt hauntingly familiar. Landen had taken her here before, on the day he told her there’d been no one but her since the first time he’d kissed her.

  Landen took her hand in his. She stared down at their interlaced fingers and something sparked in her memory. She’d lived this moment before.

  “It wasn’t a dream,” she uttered, warmth spreading inside her. She glanced up into Landen’s question-filled eyes. “This place. You.” She glanced down at their hands. “It wasn’t a dream.”

  A slow smile curled his lips as her words registered. “It was a vision.”

  She nodded. “A wonderful vision that foretold I would stand here one day, overlooking a lake and feeling so happy.”

  He clasped her hand tightly, blue eyes shimmering as he spoke. “With a man who truly loves you—and leans on a cane.”

  THE END

  Meet the Author

  A three-time RWA Golden Heart® nominee, Thomasine Rappold writes historical romance and historical romance with paranormal elements. She lives with her husband in the small town in upstate New York that inspired her current series. When she’s not spinning tales of passion and angst, she enjoys spending time with her family, fishing on one of the nearby lakes, and basking on the beach in Cape Cod. Thomasine is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Capital Region Romance Writers. Readers can find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter: @ThomRappold.

  Keep reading for an excerpt from the first book in the Sole Survivor series

  The Lady Who Lived Again

  Madeline Sutter was once the belle of the ball at the popular resort town of Misty Lake, New York. But as the sole survivor of the community’s worst tragedy, she’s come under suspicion. Longing for the life she
once enjoyed, she accepts a rare social invitation to the event of the season. Now she will be able to show everyone she’s the same woman they’d always admired—with just one hidden exception: she awoke from the accident with the ability to heal.

  Doctor Jace Merrick has fled the failures and futility of city life to start anew in rural Misty Lake. A man of science, he rejects the superstitious chatter surrounding Maddie and finds himself drawn to her confidence and beauty. And when she seduces him into a sham engagement, he agrees to be her ticket back into society, if she supports his new practice—and reveals the details of her remarkable recovery. But when his patients begin to heal miraculously, Jace may have to abandon logic, accept the inexplicable—and surrender to a love beyond reason…

  A Lyrical e-book on sale now.

  Learn more about Thomasine at http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/31713

  Chapter 1

  Misty Lake, New York, 1882

  Everyone wished she had died with the others. Maddie Sutter had accepted this truth long ago. But much to the small town’s dismay, she insisted on living and breathing despite it.

  Straightening her shoulders, she lifted her chin against the barrage of eyes watching her every move as she forged down Main Street. After three years of suffering this unwelcome attention each time she ventured to town, one would think she’d have grown used to the assault.

  Maddie had resigned herself to many things since the accident, but she’d never adapt to the dread her presence induced in those she had known all her life—those who had once loved and cared for her.

  With a fortifying breath, she approached a cluster of young boys on the corner. The same wretched imps had greeted her earlier when they’d spied her arrival in downtown Misty Lake. She braced herself for a repeat performance of the cruel rhyme they’d composed in her honor.